US prepares charges to arrest WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
Attorney general says taking action now a 'priority' – months after Donald Trump gave whistleblower his support

The US sees the arrest of the founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange as a priority and is finally preparing charges after years of doubts over the viability of prosecuting.
US attorney general Jeff Sessions told a press conference yesterday he is focusing on arresting Assange, who has spent the past four years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
"It is a priority. We've already begun to step up our efforts and whenever a case can be made, we will seek to put some people in jail," he said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
WikiLeaks released hundreds of thousands of classified US documents from 2010 onwards, many relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
A large number - nearly three-quarters of a million documents - were stolen by former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, then known as Bradley Manning, who is now serving a 35-year prison sentence.
Under Barack Obama, the US Justice Department investigated but decided it would be difficult to prosecute Assange - the First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, compounded by the fact that several newspapers also published the documents. The investigation was put on hold.
According to CNN, prosecutors now believe they have found a way to "move forward" and bring charges.
The details have not been made public, but CNN reports that CIA director Mike Pompeo said that WikiLeaks had done more than receive documents and had actually "directed Chelsea Manning to intercept specific secret information".Speaking in Washington, he added: "It's time to call out WikiLeaks for what it really is: a non-state hostile intelligence service often abetted by state actors like Russia."
All this is in contrast to the attitude displayed by US President Donald Trump on the campaign trail, says The Guardian. Last October, he told a rally of supporters: "I love WikiLeaks."
WikiLeaks' release of emails hacked from Hillary Clinton last year was seen by some observers as an attempt by Assange to help get Trump elected.
Jonathan Freedland, writing in the NY Review of Books, claimed Ecuador even turned off the wi-fi in its London embassy in an attempt to stop him interfering.
He added there was speculation about why Assange would want to help the tycoon become president, with some analysts suggesting the WikiLeaks boss may have believed he would get more lenient treatment from a Trump than a Clinton administration.
Assange's lawyer Barry Pollack told CNN: "We've had no communication with the Department of Justice and they have not indicated to me that they have brought any charges against Mr Assange.
"They've been unwilling to have any discussion at all, despite our repeated requests, that they let us know what Mr Assange's status is in any pending investigations."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human blood
Under the radar Drugging the bugs
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: March 31, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: March 31, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson Published
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published